Canadian to wed Dominican man, need info!!!

I see no reason why the marriage should be troublesome, but i would employ a lawyer to take care of everything. You can end up running round in circles otherwise and for the sakes of it and even costs, it really is worth it. once in the country the costs on paper just seem pointless as the running around, mistakes and backhanders will end up costing you more than a lawyer would, unless your boyfriend is a professional and knows how to deal with this, but I am guessing he is not as you are asking and dealing with this stuff.
Visa requirements are changing all the time, but unless you have a great job and security then you may have to consider living in the DR, again, a lawyer is the way to go.

unfortunately the way you have written the OP makes me giggle a little as it seems so simple, but believe me, it isn't, never will be and your chances depend on who you are and what you have got to put up.
Tell us what you do, what he does, what he is capable of once out of the DR.

ConfusedoverDR said:

Hi everyone,
I have been reading different posts on this site for months and really enjoy it. However, I am in the process of obtaining required documents to marry my Dominican boyfriend in the DR. I am looking for any information that people can offer who may have been through this. I understand that I need the required documentation to marry there, have it all notarized in Canada and translated throught the Dominican Embassy here ( who I have been having trouble contactint). Then, once we are married, I appy to sponsor him to Canada. Am I missing something, because from the stories I have read it appears much more difficult than this? Thank you in advance for all of your help

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Let's do one thing at a time,

documents to get married in the DR

Submit the following paperwork before the Oficial?a del Estado Civil for the preparation of your marriage certificate. Note that you may send photocopies in advance and bring the original with you:

Passport
Birth certificate
Single status affidavit translated by an official translator into Spanish
Divorce certificate translated into Spanish by an official translator, if applicable

(Legal transcripts of the birth certificates, single status affidavit and divorce act need to be prepared at the Dominican consulate in the country where the documents were issued.)

You will also need two witnesses. If they are foreigners, they will need to have passports as identification. If they are Dominicans, "cedulas" are sufficient.

Any multicultural centre in Canada can do the translation and check your documents over.

Read this info for sponsoring a spouse Sponsoring your family: Spouses and dependent children

Givadogahome said:

unfortunately the way you have written the OP makes me giggle a little as it seems so simple, but believe me, it isn't, never will be and your chances depend on who you are and what you have got to put up.
Tell us what you do, what he does, what he is capable of once out of the DR.

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This is the legal forum and she is asking a legal question.

Relationships questions go here

Visa questions go here

ConfusedoverDR said:

Thank you, it is a legal question I am asking, I am not looking for relationship advice. Maybe I should be more specific, once we are married and I apply for sponsorship, according to the information I have read, as long as I meet all requirements, which I appear to, it should take about a year. If this is true, then I'm not clear on why I would need a lawyer?

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8 - 12 months is about average if all goes well. No, you do not need a lawyer and it certainly does not speed up the immigration process to Canada

Here is more info for you http://www.dr1.com/forums/visas/80739-getting-organized-info-immigration-canada.html

Pedantic moderating sometimes makes it a little difficult to answer this without going off topic, but I'll try.
Immigration lawyers do this day in day out, the way your file is produced, put together is very important as the decision makers have a reputation for skipping through and often missing pointers that work in your favour. Often you may have something that will work well in favour for you and you would not know this, a lawyer will spot it and make it a pointer for attention. The idea we had and when the lawyer put our file together were just utterly different files altogether. Even set up so that if turned down that she knew were to hit with the appeal. People tend not to like to use them because of the cost, but id say they are worth their weight in gold, and you needn't pay big bucks, just help in putting the file together, if you don't have everything then they will just refuse it. Also give you a good idea on what to expect.

A covering letter can also sometimes be more powerful than the application itself. On many of our questions we had refer to covering letter, just to bring attention to the important point about our life together that had no room on the actual app itself.

As AnnaC said, it is not necessary, and will not speed up the process, but weighing up the pros and cons, I think people are wise to go with one, many cases would be passed had they known it was not just a case of tick the boxes and answer best you can, and I'm not one to need my hand held.

ConfusedoverDR said:

Thank you AnnC and Givadogahome, you're information has been very helpful. This is all new to me so, anything to point me in the right direction is great. If you don't mind me asking, did you hire the lawyer after you were married and beginning the application to sponsor?

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If that question is for me, no I'm here to direct traffic and post links to help people with questions. Giveadogabone lives in the UK and I guess he did as per his post.

ConfusedoverDR said:

Thank you:cheeky:

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Here is a link to what the laws states as of March 2 2012 in case you are more confused than when you first posted.

ConfusedoverDR said:

Thank you AnnC and Givadogahome, you're information has been very helpful. This is all new to me so, anything to point me in the right direction is great. If you don't mind me asking, did you hire the lawyer after you were married and beginning the application to sponsor?

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We didnt hire a lawyer to marry, although it would have been cheaper and quicker if we had, and so we put a lawyer in place in the UK to deal with the Visa application and files to take on application to the DR. I would not have considered 10% of the extra stuff covered by the lawyer, and due to this quite possibly would have failed to hit the points required to convince the decision makers. Visas to the UK are becoming almost impossible to qualify for now, the actual application seems unrealistic if considered on any form of points basis, and so all this extra stuff the lawyer puts together is really what makes the decisions. I know you are not applying for the UK, but overkill is better than failure, and preparation for appeal is better than just accepting defeat.
Good luck.

It's a declaration of truth, it seems to catch quite a few out.

Derfish said:

Hi Anna, what is this single status affidavit?? I have never heard of it until the last few days. I supposedly will need it in Colombia and don't know what it is. Thanks
Der Fish

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Here you go,

SINGLE STATUS AFFIDAVIT/SWORN DECLARATION

I, [full name as in passport], of the City of , in the State [Province] of , DO SOLEMNLY AND SINCERELY DECLARE THAT:

-I am [full name as in passport], born as [name as it appears in Birth Certificate] on [date of birth] in [place of birth].

-I am a [citizenship] citizen with passport No: , who resides at [full address].

-I intend to marry [full name as in passport] in the [hotel name] in [city], Dominican Republic during the month of [month and year of marriage].

-I am single and have never been married before. To the best of my knowledge and belief there is no legal impediment or other lawful cause to prevent me from getting married.

-The names of my parents are , Mother and , Father.

I make this Solemn Declaration firmly believing it to be true and knowing that it is of the same force and effect as if made under oath.

DECLARED by me, this(date)____of ______, 2012


Signed [your name here]____________________________
(Full name as in passport)

DECLARED in my presence, this (date)____of ______, 2012


_______________________________
Signed as a Public Notary (Commissioner of Oaths)

IF DIVORCED, PLEASE INDICATE “single, divorced since (date your divorce was final). To the best of my…” INCLUDE NAME OF FORMER SPOUSE, DATE THE DIVORCE WAS FINAL, FILE/RECORD NUMBER, COURT, AND NAME OF THE JUDGE.

IF WIDOW-WIDOWER, PLEASE INDICATE “single, widow/widower since (date as appears on the death certificate). To the best of my knowledge and belief there is no legal impediment.

Derfish said:

Hi Anna, what is this single status affidavit?? I have never heard of it until the last few days. I supposedly will need it in Colombia and don't know what it is. Thanks
Der Fish

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Inquiring minds want to know, ARE YOU GETTING MARRIED AGAIN??